[Johan Spencer]

The night was quiet, Johan and Jonsie had spent the 4 hours it took to get up the mountain trail. The length of travel may or may not be due to the sheer beauty that most locals had become accustom to yet deeply loved and sought regardless of how many times one had traveled it. It was steep, but it was dense with woods allong the path. A little treterous but nothing the mare couldn't handle. Jonsie knew her limits and Johan could sense when it was time to give her a rest. Such time was now, as they had made it to their camp site. The fireplace he had put there several years ago still remained, looking well used. 

Jonsie was tied to the pole near by with enough slack to move about freely. She took the time to lay down on the soft ground of the woods, falling fast asleep as Johan lit the campfire. The sun was just setting, so light remained but it was dwindling by the hour. He took those moments to set up the rest of his campsite, a simple sleeping bag that would allow him to sleep under the stars. He'd laid his well worn dark leather jacket on the ground close by, taking a seat on it as he got himself cozy by the fire. 

[Elizabeth Hart]

How long had she been riding? Honestly, she'd lost track of time. It wasn't often these days that the young heiress had time to ride freely like this. Usually she and her mare Stardust, the beautiful sorrel sabino she was atop, spent hours in the training ring at her fathers stables. Pushing both horse and rider to tougher limits, all in the name of winning more titles and awards to add to the family's legacy. But tonight was different. She was just letting Dusty wander the idealistic paths up the mountain.

Though as the day gave way to night, she snapped out of whatever brain fog she'd been lost in, and realized... she had no idea where they were. Reaching for her cellphone did no good either, "Ugh, no reception..." She mumbled in annoyance. Seeing the campfire in the distance at least gave her some hope.

Trotting up to it she pulled the reins, stopping Dusty as she did so. "Excuse me, I seem to be lo... Johan?" She wasn't sure now if she was happy or annoyed to see him, "Figures I'd run into you out here." Out here rather than being productive, working, doing his job as his parents heir... She thought to herself. And this is who Dad wants me to marry.

"Its too dark to find my way back and my cell's not getting any bars." She explained as she swung herself off the saddle, standing before him in the firelight. He'd likely not ever seen her dressed so informal, jeans and a casual sweater were far from the designer suits she sported usually. Her long blonde hair was a mess from the wind having whipped through it, and she'd run her fingers through it mindlessly.

[Johan Spencer]

Johan chuckled, his arm laid across his upward bent knee as he takes his hat off with the other, turning his neck to face her. The fact that their families think they have any barring on what he is to do with his life, who he married, and how he wanted to do things smacked him in the face damn near every time she spoke to him. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Well I'll be damned. Miss Hart. You're out yer mind iffn' you think yer gonna get signal from a regular cellphone out here. What in the hells are you doin' on a trail you don't know this close to sunset?" He says, his tone quiet but deep, projecting jest and a hint of sarcasm. Jonsie stirs a bit, lifting her head to see the other two before setting her head back down over her legs.

He'd look her up and down, observing her unusual attire, wondering if it was in fact Lizbeth. He'd not know what to make of it, but he took note that maybe she wasn't such a stuck up socialite after all.

[Elizabeth Hart]

Lizbeth felt her cheeks flush as he chuckled, he had a point. "I lost track of time."

She knew that wasn't exactly the whole truth. But she couldn't admit she was struggling to him, nor anyone. She was her father's daughter, and anyone carrying the Hart name had to be tough as nails and relentless. But fuck was she tired. And she looked it. Her baby blue eyes had bags under them, not even make up could hide her utter exhaustion. Wait, was she not wearing make up? She couldn't remember herself if she'd even bothered before getting on her horse and heading out aimlessly.

"May I sit?" She shivered in the cool night air, drawing closer to the fire before realizing she hadn't tied her horse. She cursed herself for being so...off. Turning back she'd lead the mare over where his was, making sure she had room to move about, graze, and get water. She might be cold hearted in some ways, but she loved Stardust above all. "Where are we, anyway? I...lost track of that too."

[Johan Spencer]

Johan took great joy in her discomfort, if only to have something in his back pocket to pick at her with later. The rebelliously tattooed man only meant it in good fun and he had a sense that Lizbeth didn't mind it much. It looked like she needed some of the tension eased and quite frankly, Johan doesn't know much about the ways of giving comfort. He was best at cracking jokes, with the occasional "sage" advice now and again.

"'Course ya can. Iffn' yer not opposed to gettin' dirt all over yer clothes." HE said, scooting over onto his sleeping bag, leaving his jacket free for her to sit.

"We're bout a 4 hour trail ride from downtown. A little trail split from the main path me and Jonsie here flattened out over the years. Surprised ya even found it. Unless you've been followin' me 'round." He teased, brushing some of the longer bits of hair from his face.

[Elizabeth Hart]

Lizbeth took a seat near him, hugging her knees close to her chest for warmth. She'd set off when the sun was still high and warm, but this was a cool Autumn night. Her breath made little clouds as she made a few annoyed huffs at him teasing her. "I work with horses, dirt doesn't frighten me." She'd assert, though even she had to crack a smile at how ridiculous she was being. "Thank you, regardless." She glanced to his jacket she was now seated upon.

"F-four hours?!" She exclaimed. "Maybe if I rest my horse an hour I can make it home by sunup. Father is going to be so pissed if I miss the board meeting." She put her face in her hands, no energy to mask up and be the badass business woman tonight.

"If I knew this was your trail I'd have turned back." She retorted, after collecting herself some.

[Johan Spencer]

Johan couldn't not laugh when she retorted with her quip about working with horses. He'd assumed that she never really did things hands on, but I guess he'd been wrong. The gentleman cringed when she spoke of her dad, using words such as Faaaaather in the way that Lizbeth did made him want to scoff, but he stifled it as to avoid too much conflict.

"Faaather should be more concerned his precious little girl is out in the woods by her lonesome late at night. Take all the time ya need, but be careful, cus you ain't got more than 45 minutes before it starts to get real dark."

He'd ignored her comment about this being 'his' trail, only smirking to himself as he reached to poke at the fire some.

[Elizabeth Hart]

"Have you never met him?" She scoffed, looking over at him with her brows furrowed. "His 'little girl' is supposed to be a CEO, not having a mental crisis and ending up lost in the woods..." Her shoulders slumped a little, her pride was stinging. She felt all kinds of awful feelings in her guts about opening up to the goth cowboy. She never exactly hated him, a much younger self having found him ungodly handsome. But that innocent girl was long dead, replaced with a jaded woman that knew how the world really worked.

"...Do you have an extra sleeping bag? I'm not risking my horse getting hurt because I acted like this."

She hadn't waited for an answer, she was already up and loosening the belt of Stardust's saddle.

[Johan Spencer]

"Oh, have I met 'im? Of course. He's a right bastard who tried his hand at nitpicking anythin' and everythin' about me. All on account o' what ever bullshit arrangement our parents seem to think means anythin'." He scoffed, not really towards her in general, but he really didn't care too much how she'd perceive it in that moment.

Johan sighed, shaking off his own angst to put a smile back onto his face.

"Not particularly, but I can give ya mine and make one from the spare blankets I got."

[Elizabeth Hart]

"If you think he's hard on you, imagine what he says to his own family." She glanced aside, looking over at him as she set the heavy saddle down in the grass. It was a clockwork routine, mindlessly tending to Stardust as she would at the stable. Checking every inch of the beast to ensure she wasn't wounded, wipe any dirt or dust away, and using bottled water to wash the sweaty areas.

"I'm sorry, Dusty...I won't do this again." She felt guilty, more that she'd put her horse in the situation than anything. Heading back to the fire and the sleeping bag.

"...Thank you." She finally said, taking off her riding boots and rubbing her own sore legs.

[Johan Spencer]

"Really, I thought the old bastard would have had kid gloves on when it came to his little girl. Must be a true sonofabitch ifn' yer getting the same cold shoulder as the rest of us."

Johan had finished getting his makeshift bed together, sitting atop the blanket rather than under it as sleep wasn't calling to him just yet.

"Yer mare seems pretty resilient. She's more concerned about you it seems." He notes out loud, nodding to Lizbeth's horse before returning to look at the woman herself.

"Ain't nothin' to it. Just cus I ain't yer favorite person don't mean I'm leavin' ya fer dead. That would make me less than a gentleman if anythin' else ever did."

[Elizabeth Hart]

"He does what needs to be done, for the family..." She replied flatly, rubbing her eyes as she settled her form into the sleeping bag. "For our legacy." A hollow feeling crept over her stomach and she turned her eyes back on him from across the flames.

"She's a good horse, rough start in the world, but she survived...Its what bonded us, I think. We both had something to prove to my father." A sad snort as she tilted her head.

"I never said I hated you, did I?... Just because our families have silly expectations doesn't mean... doesn't mean I don't want to get to know you."

[Johan Spencer]

Johan would scoff at her sentiments about 'family' and 'legacy', but not in such a way that it would have been terribly evident. He could hear the sour in her voice as she spoke of it, so he tried to remain passive and unbiased.

He smiled as she talked about stardust, glancing over to the Mare, beautiful as she was, he could see the struggles life brought the poor beast. The lovely girl has made it far alongside Lizbeth.

"I didn't say ya did. An' between you and me I never thought ya would have wanted to. Truth be told I didn't. I wasn't interested in provin' my parents right by even giving ya the time of day."

[Elizabeth Hart]

"Only thing they want to 'prove' is how the price of stocks "

Her eyes remained steady on him, fidgeting with her fingernails, picking at the skin around them. This was likely the first time Johan had seen her being human, not the cooperate robot. It had her feeling vulnerable being so unmasked. "...When I take over the business, there's going to be a lot of changes. One's my father wouldn't like very much, but by then he'll be dead I suppose.."

The sweet song of night bugs and crackling fire filled the space between them, just adding to how dreamlike this whole encounter felt.

[Johan Spencer]

"Whooah." He chuckles, shifting his position to face her more. The night had gone dimmer and the light from the fire lit the small area up in flickering orange.

"That's a bit dark. True, but dark. I am sure what ever you got planned for the company will be great and make the old man roll back and forth in his grave."

He reached for his bag as his words trailed off, setting it in his lap as he went digging through it. She wasn't riding anywhere, so he figured a swig of a fresh bottle of whiskey wouldn't hurt. The bottle was small, fit just the palm of his hand, but was enough to share. He cracked the metal top some, moving to hand the bottle over, leaving her to break the rest of the seal if she would take it.